


The Family and Friendship Paradox

by Ghostly_Presence94



Category: Justice League (2017), Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Diana and Steve have a kid, F/M, Gen, Mischiveous daughter, My version of Cheetah, Some members of the league make an appearance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-02 13:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17265386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostly_Presence94/pseuds/Ghostly_Presence94
Summary: SEQUEL TO 'MAKING MY WAY BACK'. Diana and Steve have adapted to life together in Paris after Steve came back from the dead. But what happens when they find out Diana's pregnant? What happens when your best friend becomes your enemy? And what happens when your enemy threatens your family? *On hiatus*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear reader! Happy new year! I know this sequel is long overdue but life got in the way and also, major writer's block. I realize that two people may read this and if you're one of them, thank you so much! This is my first attempt at writing a proper story with an actual villain. If you haven't read my first Wonder Woman fic, I recommend you read it before continuing ('Making My Way Back' it is called), but feel free to read this one first if you wish (even though some things might not make sense). 
> 
> The first idea I had for this fic was for Diana and Steve to find out they're having a kid and them not having planned for it at all. I thought it would be fun to see them navigate through the whole process of them actually having no idea, to finding out and then dealing with the pregnancy. I also call this 'part one' of the fic. I also want to explore the friendship of Diana and Barbara Ann Minerva and how important that relationship is for both of them (you can read the two-shot I wrote about the first time Diana met BAM called 'Nothing Stays A Secret for Long') and how it affects Diana when BAM eventually becomes Cheetah. 
> 
> So as you can probably tell this is going to be a long ass fic. So far I've only written 5 chapters and usually I wouldn't upload unless I had half of it, but lately I've found myself thinking about the story a lot and not actually writing out of sheer laziness and this is my way of making myself write. Please forgive me if I take a little while to upload between chapters. I'm probably just figuring it out. 
> 
> I won't bore you anymore. I hope you enjoy this prologue.

Prologue 

_Mon Dieu. When is this trip going to be over?_

Yeah, sure, the Château de Versailles is beautiful and all, but I’ve been here a bunch of times before. Mum loves to come here when there’s a little too much on her mind and I know she likes it when I come with her, which is why I come a lot. It’s not really that much fun without her. Plus, our guide keeps saying the wrong things about who used what or who slept in this room or that room. I almost feel like correcting her, but I can practically hear Mum’s voice telling me to be nice and Dad next to her telling me to not be a smartass. I smile knowing Mum would smack him on the ribs for using that language in front of me. 

I look at Anne and roll my eyes mouthing, 

“ _So boring_ ,” 

She widens her eyes a little and also mouths, 

“ _I know_ ,” 

As we move on to the next part of the tour, we walk by a roped off hallway, a sign that reads ‘staff only’ hanging from the red velvety rope. 

An idea pops into my head. 

The first time Mum and I came together about two years ago, we were allowed to walk through it and it lead us to a private garden – a really beautiful and quiet one. 

I walk closer to Anne and very discreetly motion towards the hallway. She looks confused at me, so I grab her arm gently and stop, letting the rest of the class walk ahead of us. 

“What? We’re going to lose them and I don’t want to be walking around in circles,” 

I ignore her comment. 

“See that hallway?” I motion towards it again. 

She looks at it and then back at me. “It’s an off-limits hallway. What of it?” 

“Let’s go. There’s a private garden on the other side of it. This tour is _boring_. Let’s go chill there for a bit. We’ll catch up to them in like thirty minutes,” 

Anne looks at me as if I just suggested we should steal the Mona Lisa. 

“Are you insane, Maia?! We’re gonna get in trouble. Besides, Madame Laurent is watching us like a hawk. I’m actually surprised she hasn’t noticed we’ve stayed behind yet. And how do you even know there’s a garden at the end of the hallway? What if we open the door and walk into a room filled with screens and security guards?” 

I give her my best ‘really?’ face. “ _Mon Dieu_ , Anne. Relax. My mum and I come here sometimes. We once ran into the director for events and him and Mum had worked together before, so he showed us around. The garden _c’est très jolie_. You’ll love it. There are a bunch of tulips in there.” 

Tulips are Anne’s favourite type of flowers. 

“Really?” 

I smile and nod, knowing there’s no way she’s saying no now. 

“Want to go see them?” 

Anne looks at the hallway and then back at our class, who are now standing in front of a bust on the far side of the room. If there was ever a face that had ‘conflicted’ written all over it so clearly, I would actually be surprised. 

“30 minutes, Anne. That’s it. Like I said, I’ve been here loads of times. The tour we’re being given lasts an hour. We’ve been on it for 20 minutes, we’ll stay in the garden for 30 and we’ll sneak back in for the last 10. No one will notice.” 

She looks at me for a couple of seconds and then she exhales loudly, her shoulders sagging. 

“Fine. But if we get caught I swear _to God_ , Maia…” 

“Yeah, yeah. You’ll kill me. Now let’s go!” 

I take her by the hand and pull her towards the hallway. I stop a few meters away from the rope, look left and right to make sure nobody sees us, take a few quick steps closer to it and then I jump over it. I turn to look at Anne and see her go over the rope very slowly, as if touching it would trigger some kind of alarm. 

“Can you go any slower? I really don’t think you were trying hard enough to get caught.” 

She walks up to me and shoves me forward. I chuckle. 

“You know perfectly well I’m clumsy. I don’t think face planting will help us in our escapade,” 

We walk a few more steps and then turn left to find the door I know leads to the garden. 

“There it is,” I whisper excitedly to Anne, even though there’s no one around. 

I take hold of the door knob, but freeze before I turn it. 

“What? Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet _now_ ,” 

I look at her. “Of course not. It just occurred to me that there might be an alarm of some kind.” 

“God, Maia! You think of this now?! You said you’ve been here before!” 

“I have! But it was two years ago and we were with the events’ director. I can’t remember if there was some kind of security here. I was 9. You don’t pay attention to that stuff.” I say a bit defensively. 

“Okay, well, it was fun while it lasted. Can we _please_ go now?” 

Anne turns but I grab her arm. 

“Wait a sec. Look around. There are no card swipe machines, code verification or a barcode reader. Nothing. And look, the security cameras are turned off,” 

She swings her head to the top right corner where I’m pointing to the turned off red light of the device. 

“That’s weird. Why would they be off? There’s so much security in this place.” 

I shrug. “I don’t know, but I’ll take it as a good sign.” 

“Wait, Maia!” 

I turn the door knob and push the door open. I hear Anne squeal and she covers her ears. We look at each other and wait for the shrill of an alarm – but it never comes. 

“After you m’lady,” I step aside and do a sweeping motion with my arm. 

Anne drops her arms quite unceremoniously and stomps her way through the door. 

“I swear one of these days you’re gonna give me a heart attack,” 

“At least you’ll die happy,” I say closing the door softly behind me. 

“I think you mean terrified.” 

I walk up to her and throw my arm around her shoulders. 

“Nope, happy. Look,” I point to the right where a big, beautifully carved stone arch stands at the entrance of the private garden. 

I feel Anne stand straighter and I don’t need to look at her to know her eyes are as big as saucers. 

“Wow. It’s _gorgeous_. It almost doesn’t look real!” 

It _is_ very beautiful. The grass is so green, it makes the yellow of the tulips and the red and white of the roses pop. They almost look fake because they’re so perfect. 

_Oh and it smells so good!_

The smell of the flowers and the grass are only made better by the sound of trickling water from the small pond on the corner of the garden – purple lily pads float there peacefully. 

Anne walks amazed towards the tulips and kneels down in front of them, taking one of the buds and bringing it closer to her nose – her eyes close immediately. 

I smile, glad that I was able to share this place with my best friend. I lie down on the grass and close my eyes as well. I feel the warm rays of the sun hitting my face and I relax. 

A little while later, I feel Anne lie down next to me. 

“Maia?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Thanks for showing me this place,” 

I smile. “Glad you broke the rules now?” 

She laughs. “Yeah, but let’s not make it a habit. We’re bound to get caught at some point.” 

I open my eyes and pull out my cell phone from my skirt’s pocket. “Let’s enjoy it while it lasts then.” 

I lift up my arm and bring my head closer to Anne’s. “Smile,” 

I take the photo and bring my arm down. I tap on the bottom right corner and the photo comes up. I show it to Anne. 

“Aw, that’s a great pic. Too bad we won’t really be able to show it to anyone. At least for a while,” 

I take my phone back and open the camera app again. “We should take more pictures then. We’re probably never going to be here again.” 

I look at Anne and she says, 

“Goofy faces, levitation and #livinglife pics?” 

I stand up and stretch out my arm to Anne. 

“You get me,” 

For the next 10 minutes we take dozens of photos. We pose and laugh, and I never thought I could have so much fun on a school trip. I look at the time and see it’s been 25 minutes. 

“Let’s take one more picture. We have to go.” 

I look around trying to find a spot we haven’t taken a picture on. My eyes land on a section of the wall that’s covered with vines that have tiny orange flowers coming out of them. 

“There. Come on. Hurry up,” 

We walk fast towards the wall and sit down in front of it. Anne takes my phone and snaps the picture. 

“We’ll look at them later. I really want to get back now, Maia,” 

I nod. “Yeah, come on.” 

I’m 11 years old. I’m an only child. I live in a ranch in Versailles. My dad works in Paris and Mum runs the ranch (we raise horses), and she also takes care of me. I’ve never in my entire life been in danger. Like actual danger. I mean, sometimes I misbehave and put myself in positions where I _can_ get hurt (like that one time I decided to soak my hand in alcohol and light it on fire. I like fire), but I’ve never been at someone else’s mercy. 

Which is why I freeze when I open the door to the hallway and a big, tall scary looking man with a goatee is standing on the other side of it. He seems surprised for a second, but then he takes a few menacing steps forward making us back away. His dark eyes bore into mine. I feel Anne take my hand. 

Without breaking eye contact, he reaches his hand into his back pocket and pulls out a radio. He brings it closer to his mouth, pushes on the button and says, 

_Skshhhh-pha_ . “I thought you said the garden had been cleared,” 

_Skshhhh-mmit_ . “It was. Why?” The man on the other side of the radio says exasperated. 

“I have two little girls staring at me. What should I do with them?” 

“Get rid of them,” 

The tall man smirks at us and puts the radio away. “You chose a bad day to stray away from your school mates, girlies.” 

Anne lets out a cry and I move to stand directly in front of her, putting myself between her and the man. 

He chuckles. 

“Oh, look at you acting all brave. Don’t worry. It’ll be fast.” 

He pulls a gun from under his shirt and before he can point it at me or at Anne, I take a step forward and kick him in the crotch. 

He lets out a scream and drops his gun. I kick it to the opposite direction. 

“Anne, run!” 

I wait for her to run ahead of me and then I go to move, but I feel an arm wrap around my waist and stop me from escaping. I let out a yelp. 

“Maia!” 

I see Anne has made it to the door. She goes to take a step in my direction but I stop her. 

“No, go! Get help!” 

She hesitates for a second but then she runs through the door. 

Even though I’m pretty sure I’m about to get killed, I feel a sense of relief at the fact that my actions didn’t get my best friend murdered. 

I start to thrash in his arms and when I don’t feel like I’ll be able to get loose, I bite down hard on his arm. 

_Gross, by the way_ . 

He screams again and his arm loosens enough for me to get away from him. I take a few steps back and look at him. 

“You are going to regret that. I’m going to enjoy killing you,” 

I don’t know what comes over me but I run towards him, prepared to kick him again, but he sucker punches me on the mouth. My head whips back from the force of it and I feel my lip burst open. I fall to the ground; a rush of dizziness making everything spin around me. I feel the steady trickle of blood run down my chin. 

I hear him chuckle once again. 

“Not so tough now, huh?” 

I’m vaguely aware of him picking up his gun and then I hear him cock it. Then he’s pointing it right at me. 

“Any final words?” 

I feel the tears slide down my cheeks and I think of my parents. A feeling of utter impotence descends heavily on me, knowing there’s nothing else I can do. 

Funny though, how emotions can change so quickly. 

A second later, a feeling of relief washes over me– and I get a little cocky. 

“If you don’t put the gun down, you’re going to regret it,” 

He bursts out laughing and waves the gun around a bit. 

“ _Those_ are your final words? And who’s going to make me regret it? _You?_ ” 

I shake my head. “No. Her,” 

He whips around and he doesn’t even get a chance to react before Wonder Woman has him by the neck. His gun falls with a heavy _thud_ on the grass. She lifts him up and slams him so hard against the grass, I’m pretty sure I felt the ground shake. He’s strong though and he doesn’t lose consciousness. He tries to reach for his gun, but Wonder Woman brings her foot down, smashing it to pieces. She takes hold of his neck again and lifts him up from the ground once more. 

“Does it make you feel like a man? Hitting young girls and threatening them?” 

He claws at her arm, but she doesn’t even flinch. His face starts to turn purple and his movements become weaker. She drops him and he falls to the ground in a heap. He coughs and takes a loud, shaky breath. He starts to crawl away from her, but Wonder Woman uncoils her lasso at lightning speed and wraps it around his neck, yanking it back, making him land on his back. 

“Why are you here?” 

The lasso grows brighter. 

“I – _ahhhhhh!_ ” He screams. 

Wonder Woman walks closer to him and kneels down by his face. “The Lasso of Hestia compels you to tell the truth. If you lie it’ll hurt. So, don’t. Why are you here?” 

You can see by the way his face is contorting that he doesn’t want to answer her question, but the lasso grows brighter and he lets out another scream. 

“We were going to steal some art,” He says through clenched teeth. 

“What for?” She asks. 

“To sell them. He needs the money,” 

Wonder Woman frowns. “Who’s _he_?” 

He moans painfully, still trying to fight it. “Cadulo,” 

I don’t know who Cadulo is, but the name obviously means something to Wonder Woman. 

“How is Cadulo involved in all this?” She asks a bit more impatiently. 

“He needs the money so he can do as Urzkartaga asks,” 

Anger is suddenly evident on her face. “Thank you for your answers…” 

“Axel,” 

“Thank you for your answers, Axel,” 

She punches him so hard on the nose, this time he really does lose consciousness. I don’t need to see his face to know he’s bleeding. She unwraps the lasso from around his neck just as police officers burst through the door with their guns on the ready. 

When they see Wonder Woman, they lower them. 

“Officers. We need medical attention immediately for the girl and _this one_ ” – she says with disdain pointing at Axel – “I’ll be glad to give you my statement regarding his confession. He wasn’t acting alone. There are more in the building,” 

“ _Oui,_ Wonder Woman.” 

Some of the officers go to cuff the passed-out jerk and one of them calls for an ambulance, the rest run back through where they came to chase the rest of them. I see Wonder Woman walk towards me and I stay on the ground, frozen. My eyes are glued to her. She kneels down next to me and looks concerned at my lip. She grabs my chin gently and moves it to the side, examining the open gash. 

“That’s going to need stitches.” 

I nod slowly. “Yeah, it feels like it does.” I’m only now starting to become aware of the throbbing on my lip and I can feel a headache coming. 

“What are you doing here? This garden is not part of any tour.” She asks a little harshly. 

I hesitate to answer, but I do anyway. “The tour was boring. I just wanted to have fun with my friend,” 

“And did you?” 

I feel the sting of tears at the back of my eyes and a knot in my throat, so I only manage to shake my head. 

“Where is she?” 

“I managed to distract him long enough for her to run,” 

She raises her eyebrows a bit surprised. 

“Thank you for saving me,” My voice trembles a little. 

I see her face soften and she touches my cheek, wiping the tear that’s sliding down it with the pad of her thumb. I throw my arms around her, a sob I can’t quiet control makes its way out. I feel her hand cup the back of my head. 

“Do you have any idea how much you scared me?” 

I sniff. “I’m sorry, Mum.” 

_Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. My parents are Steve Trevor and Diana Prince, a.k.a Wonder Woman._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gawd! You read the first chapter! I hope you liked and if you feel like doing so, I would really appreciate a comment. Drop a comment even if you didn't like it (be nice though! Let's begin 2019 being respectful). The plan for now is to update once a week (probably on Mondays) but like I mentioned before, I might miss a few updates starting chapter 6. I hope you give this fic a try. If not, thanks for reading this chapter anyway. See you on Monday!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week we got a glimpse of the future. Now we see how they got there! Hope you enjoy!

1

_11_ _years_ _and_ _7_ _months_ _earlier_

I feel weird. I have been feeling weird for almost a month now. Every morning I wake up and that’s the first thought I have.

 _I_ _feel_ _weird_.

I don’t feel sick. I can’t get sick. I have never been sick. I’m a demigod. But then how else should I describe it? I feel like something is happening to my body, something I have never felt before but nothing that stops me from doing my normal, every day routine.

I go about my day trying to not think about it but I find it invades my every thought. While I’m at work, when I’m at home, on my way to work, on my way _from_ work. It’s starting to get maddening. It’s the frustration of not understanding what it is that I’m feeling that puts me in a foul mood. Steve’s gentle words and infinite amounts of patience are the only things that prevent me from losing my mind.

“Maybe you should go see a doctor?”

Steve suggests one night while we’re getting ready for bed.

I shake my head, “I’ve never been to the doctor. And even if I went to see one, I doubt they would find whatever it is that’s ailing me,”

Steve frowns at that, “Do you think it’s some… godly sickness?”

I smile a little at his choice of words, “I don’t know what it is. We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess.”

I turn the bathroom light off and walk to bed, draping my robe over the back of the chair. I get into bed and furrow into the warm sheets. Steve’s arm automatically lifts to allow me to rest my head on his chest. I close my eyes at the familiar feeling of his arm around my shoulders, his sweet smell and the tingling feeling of his breathing on the crown of my head. It’s been a year since he came back to me, but that powerful feeling that assaults my mind and body every time I look at him, every time he touches me, every time he kisses me will never fade.

I feel him shake his head slowly, “I don’t like that. If you think there’s something wrong, why would you wait for it to get worse? Let’s go to the people who can give us an answer. Let’s go to Themyscira. I’m sure Epione will be able to find out what’s happening to you,”

“I don’t think it’s necessary, Steve. I told you, I don’t _feel_ sick. It’s more of a-”. I gesticulate with my arms not quite knowing how to describe that _thing_ I’ve been feeling for the last few weeks.

I feel his chest jump with a contained laugh. “Well that” – he copies my movements – “ _thing_ has me worried. Please? Just humour me. Let’s go see Epione and hear what she has to say. Besides, I know how much you miss your mother and Antiope and I wouldn’t mind disconnecting for a little while,”

Yes, Steve has become quite the 21st century man. His work at A.R.G.U.S involves him being surrounded by technology for most of his days. After several discussions about him working _for_ (a distinction I made quite clear to him when he kept saying _with_ ) Amanda Waller, he made it his goal to adapt as fast as he could. No member of the league really trusts anyone from the government, therefore no contact was ever made with them. But as Bruce pointed out, eventually the league would have to make some kind of deal with the government in order to keep helping in a lawful way.

“If we want to keep saving the world, we’ll need their cooperation and that won’t happen unless they feel like they have some say over our actions. Doesn’t mean they actually _will_ , but they need to feel like they do,” It’s what he said.

Not a single member of the league liked the idea of having to answer to someone other than ourselves (Arthur was particularly vocal about it), and they liked it even less when Bruce explained who Amanda Waller was.

After calming everyone down, Bruce, who was quite exasperated at that point, told Clark, Arthur, Vic and Barry that _they_ wouldn’t have to deal with Amanda Waller. They all turned to look at me, assuming I was going to be the one dealing with her. Until that point, I had let Bruce do all the talking. I was leaning back on the edge of the table, arms crossed looking at the exchange Bruce was having with everyone else. I was coming to terms with the fact that once I told them about Steve and how he was going to be the one representing us, there was no turning back, and as much as I didn’t like it, it was still going to happen.

I told them mostly everything. Who Steve was, how he died, _why_ he died, how he came back to me and why he was the perfect man for the job. I didn’t tell them what he was, is, to me, but I could tell Clark knew by the soft smile on his face. Barry is an incredibly trusting person, so he said that if I trusted him then he would trust him too. Vic only nodded, probably having already read Steve’s file while we were talking and concluded he could trust him. The only one who was opposed to it at first was Arthur. He said, and I quote,

“Until I meet him and talk to him myself, I ain’t agreeing to anything,”

I nodded having anticipated each and every one of their reactions. Long story short, after introducing them to Steve and spending hours and hours answering all of their questions, at the end of the day, they all saw Steve for what he was: loyal, strong, caring and most importantly, capable.

So, after the first hurdle was cleared, the second one involved having A.R.G.U.S agree. When Bruce went to their home office and made the proposal, they played hard to get, but it was obviously quite beneficial for them to have a person on their payroll whom the league trusted and it obviously benefited Steve, who really wanted to be involved in some way. So Captain Steve Trevor became the liaison between A.R.G.U.S and the Justice League.

When Bruce called to tell us Steve got the job, which took him longer than expected, he informed us that it took quite the effort to get Waller to agree to have Steve working in her division. Turns out we’re not the only ones who don’t like Amanda Waller. The founders of A.R.G.U.S were eager to have Steve fill out the position of liaison, but not so much for his qualities, but because he wasn’t one of Waller’s cronies. She’s been making some moves lately to gain more power and filling the seats of A.R.G.U.S with people who will always say yes to her every request was one of those moves.

Steve wasn’t really bothered by that, if anything he saw it as an opportunity to do some real good, but I didn’t. I don’t trust that woman and her being against Steve’s appointment has only put me on higher alert when it comes to his safety. This was one of the main reasons we fought over him taking the job. I know I agreed to let him make his own choices, but why couldn’t he find a job in the police department? Why the government? And specifically, why Amanda Waller?

“Access. I will never get access to the information that will be truly helpful to you or the league if I work with the local police,” It’s what he said when I suggested he look for a job there.

I grunted in frustration and defeat. I was about to suggest he work as a security guard in a bank- I always find myself in one of them at least once a month anyway- but his previous answer would have applied to that suggestion too, I guessed.

I tried teaching Steve all I could about the century we live in, but it was very difficult trying to do that in under two months, which was the time it would take to ‘create his position’. I asked Bruce what that meant, but he told me he got it under control and to not worry about it.

I thanked him for his continuous help and hung up the phone. The first thing I taught Steve was how to use the cell phone.

Now Steve has an 8 to 5 job in A.R.G.U.S’ Paris home office (unless there’s an emergency of some sort, in which case he has to go at odd hours or even leave the country) and he comes home every day saturated with numbers, addresses, the faces of potential threats, among many other things and the last thing he wants to do when he gets home is sit in front of another screen while I teach him some other thing the internet can do for him. So we usually go for a walk around our neighbourhood or just stay at home and talk about our day while we play cards. Usually speed.

Of course, we haven’t been doing much of anything lately because I just don’t feel like it. All I want to do is lie down and watch some ridiculous, cliché movie on Netflix and stuff my face with ice cream… or croissants (sometimes both).

It is all of that and wanting my normal routine with Steve back that makes me agree. A week later we find ourselves crossing the rippled barrier that hides Themyscira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mainly to setup some things. I know it probably wasn’t that interesting but I still hope to see you next week. Drop a comment if you like. I would appreciate it very much!


	3. Chapter 3

2 

I feel reenergized as soon as my feet touch the sand. It doesn’t matter that since Steve came back we’ve visited more. Every time I come back home I realize how much I miss being here. The place that witnessed me grow; the place that saw me become the woman I am today; the place that protects the people I love most. Themyscira is the place where I am truly myself. Where I can be me. Not Diana Prince, the antiquities dealer. Not Wonder Woman. Just Diana. 

All those years living in Man’s world after Steve’s death made me lose something; a part of myself that left me, in a way, wandering about aimlessly. I lost the part of myself that allowed me to connect on a deeper level. That’s what allowed me to live my life without risk of discovery, really. I didn’t feel like I needed to fix every single thing man got wrong, so I exposed myself less. Now though, as I hear Steve’s feet touch the sand I know that I’m whole again. 

I hold on onto the side of the boat and pull it so it’s fully on the sand. Steve reaches in and pulls our duffle bag from the boat and throws it over his shoulder. I turn my head towards the stone arch to see five riders galloping through. I feel the corners of my mouth lift automatically as I take a few steps closer to the approaching riders to see my mother surrounded by her Queen’s Guard. 

“Diana!”, Mother exclaims surprised at our unexpected arrival as she gets down from her horse. The first time we visited Themyscira after Steve’s return, we decided to come back twice a year, specifically on the fourth and ninth full moon (in the regular calendar that would be around the end of March and August) and since it’s May our arrival is definitely unexpected. 

“Mother,” I step forward and hug her fiercely. 

“What are you doing here?! Captain,” she lets go and hugs Steve with as much force as she did me. 

“We’re here to appease Steve’s mind, Mother.  Although I think he’s exaggerating,” I throw him a bit of a dirty look. 

He ignores it and answers her, “Diana hasn’t been feeling well and on my insistence, we’re here so Epione can tell us if it is, in fact, an exaggeration for us to be here,” 

I roll my eyes at his overprotectiveness but I only half mean it. It would be quite hypocritical for me to accuse him of that when I, myself, am constantly keeping an eye out for him. 

Mother turns a worried glance towards me. “You are not feeling well? What is it that you are feeling? There is not much that ails a God,” 

I feel Steve’s eyes bore on me. That is the one thing I decided not to mention. I didn’t want to worry him before I had anything concrete and since he doesn’t know about ‘godly sicknesses’, as he called it, I didn’t feel the need to inform him. I had been researching quietly in ancient texts trying to find an explanation to what I’m feeling, and since I didn’t, I didn’t say anything to him. But what I _did_ tell him is true. It’s more of a sensation than anything else. The worst of it is the _not_ knowing. 

I quickly answer Mother before Steve’s imagination gets the better of him. 

“It’s hard to put into words. It’s like – It feels like I’m under water sometimes. All my senses get… blurred?” - Does that make sense? - “And then sometimes it’s the opposite. I become very sensitive to everything. I can hear things I normally would never be able to hear. I can see far beyond my usual range. I can _feel_ my body working. I’ve never had that happened to me before,” 

There’s this slight twitch in Mother’s eyebrows. For the people who know her, _really_ know her, they know that’s her tell. She knows what’s happening to me. Or at least she has an inkling. And that’s only confirmed by the very subtle once over she’s giving me right now. Nobody else seems to notice but me, though. She recovers quickly nonetheless, before anyone else notices. 

“Well then, let’s take you to Epione. I am sure she will be able to put a name to what you are feeling, Diana. You did right to bring her, Captain. My daughter can be incredibly stubborn. Good thing she has you to look after her,” 

“ _Thank you_ ,” Steve answers emphatically and swings his head in my direction with a cocky smile. 

I roll my eyes once again. 

We start walking towards the infirmary and Steve gently intertwines his fingers with mine. “You lied to me,” 

I look confused at him, “What? When?” 

“You said it was more of a feeling. If you’re having actual _physical_ symptoms then it’s not a feeling,” 

Mother turns to look at us briefly but continues walking giving us some privacy. The rest of her guard follows her lead. 

I stop walking, not letting go of his hand. “I didn’t want to worry you. It comes and goes and when it does, it’s never for long.” 

He shakes his head, “I want to know. When it comes to your well-being, I don’t need your protection. What I need is information. Please don’t do it again,” 

“Okay. I’m sorry. Forgive me?” I jut out my bottom lip trying to lighten the mood; with the uncertainty of my overall health, I really don’t want Steve mad at me. Of course, I know that he would never leave me to face anything alone, but still. 

“Forgiveness granted, angel. Let’s go,” He leans forward and presses his lips gently to mine. I kiss him back and nod. 

“Okay,” 

We catch up with Mother and her guard. She gives me a look and I nod, letting her know that everything’s fine. We walk silently to Epione. In the few minutes it takes us to reach the infirmary, I start reviewing the likeliness of me having either of the two things I concluded I must have. Either I’ve been cursed or the Gods have decided to strip me of my powers. But now that I’m here, neither one makes sense. 

It’s been unusually calm this last month and I haven’t had the need to put my armour on, and none of the past criminals the league or I have stopped have dealt with dark magic or had divine powers of some sort. So unless someone from relatively long ago has decided to seek some kind of revenge against me, I think I can rule out being cursed. Plus, if by some strange turn of events I am cursed, then it’s a very lame curse. I barely feel anything. It’s more of a nuisance. 

Then there’s the second option. I read about Phthonos, the Greek god of jealousy and envy and how he has a knack for being nosey and making people jealous and envious of each other. But that seems even less likely and frankly, stupid on my part. Why in Zeus’ name would Phthonos want to strip me off and/or mess with my powers? 

So now I find myself in the same position I was a month ago. I have no idea what’s going on with me. I just hope Epione really is capable of diagnosing me. If not, I’ll have to go and pressure Mother into telling me what that expression on her face was when I described my symptoms. 

When we reach the entrance of the infirmary, Mother tells Venelia to let Antiope know we’re here and then dismisses the rest of them. Mother, followed by Steve and I, make our way down the stone staircase into the cavern and the familiar smell of herbs engulfs my senses. I smile as the four stacked bathing pools brimming with glowing blue water come into view. I turn to look at Steve and he’s smiling too. The memory of my first real conversation with Steve Trevor is as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. 

“Your Majesty. Oh! Diana. Captain. You have come earlier than expected,” Epione says surprised. 

Steve and I walk further into the cave and stand next to Mother, “Yes. Actually, we’ve come to see you, Epione. I’ve been feeling a little off lately and we were hoping you would be able to tell us what’s going on with me,” 

Her brow furrows and I see the familiar focus descend on her face. “I am sorry to hear that. Why don’t you sit? What symptoms have you been experiencing?” 

I feel Steve give my hand a light squeeze. I turn to look at him and smile. I sit on the examination table and tell Epione all I have been feeling during this last month. I even tell her my own theories for good measure. When I’m done, she locks eyes with me and stares hard for a few seconds before nodding. 

“If it were not for the fact that I have heard all those exact symptoms once before, I would be at a loss too. I do not blame you for thinking you have been cursed, Diana. I, myself, would have probably told you the same thing. Lie down, please,” 

I obey and turn my head towards Steve. He has his arms crossed, lips pressed together in worry. I look at Mother and her expression is unreadable. I see Epione open a drawer and pull out a small wooden box with symbols carved on it I have never seen before. 

“I believe I have a diagnosis, Your Highness. This is just to confirm it,” 

She opens the box and I see a golden liquid inside of it. Epione deeps her index finger in it and proceeds to draw a serious of symbols on both my thighs, the palm of my hands and my stomach. 

“Stand up, please,” 

I obey once again and she grabs a cup and fills it up with the glowing blue water from one of the bathing pools. 

“Drink,” 

I take the cup obediently and drink the water, not knowing what to expect. Almost immediately, I feel the symbols drawn on my body come alive and I inhale sharply at the surprising sensation. The symbols light up; a strong golden light emanates from them and then, I feel them vibrating and with a last burst of light, tiny golden veins spread from them traveling up my arms and thighs, connecting all with the symbol on my stomach. And just as fast, they’re gone. 

“By the Gods!”, Mother exclaims, tears making her eyes shine. 

Steve turns sharply to look at Mother and then Epione, “What was that?! What’s wrong with her?” 

I look down at my body having no clue what just happened. 

“There is nothing wrong with her, Captain,” 

She turns to look at me. 

“You are with child, Diana.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Drop a comment if you feel like it. See you next week!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

3 

I can count with one hand the amount of times I’ve been left frozen by the shock or realization of a certain event or revelation. The first time happened when I saw Antiope get shot and then have her die in my arms. The second time happened when Ludendorff gassed Veld, murdering all those innocent men, women and  children after fighting so hard to safe them. The third time was when my brother, Ares, told me I was the Godkiller. The fourth was when I saw that plane explode with Steve still inside. The fifth and last time was when Antiope and Steve escaped the Underworld and came back to us. 

Up until Steve and Antiope came back, I was always aware that those moments that left me shell shocked were unbearably painful; either by the sheer brutally of it or because it meant someone had lied to me or sacrificed themselves for the greater good. 

Now though, as I stand in the infirmary looking at Epione as frozen as I have ever felt, as speechless as I have _ever_ been, I realise that all of those moments have led me to this exact point in time. 

But I still don’t believe it.  

“Say that again,” I tell Epione aware that my voice sounds monotone. 

She smiles and obliges, “You are with child.” 

Sensing the same shock in Steve she turns and tells him, 

“You are going to be a father, Captain. Congratulations,” 

I exhale loudly just realizing I had been holding my breath and shake my head. 

I love children. I always have and not just because they are the purest human beings ever are; so unburdened and filled with hopes and dreams just like I was when I was a child, but in general I love them. And whenever I see any child in danger, my instinct to protect increases tenfold. 

But Steve and I haven’t discussed children. 

And to be completely honest with myself, it hadn’t even occurred to me to have any. Steve has only been back for a year. There are things we are still learning from one another. My apartment in Paris has truly become _ours_ in the last six months. Steve has been adding things of his own little by little until it was obvious more than one person lived there. 

_And I guess now there’s going to be another one._

“You’re saying that – She’s… that we’re going t – That I’m going to be a f-,” 

If it weren’t for the shock that threatens to leave me speechless for the foreseeable future, I would’ve laughed and reminded him that Etta used to do exactly that when caught by surprise. 

“By your reactions, I take it this is quite the surprise. Why don’t you both sit? As amusing as it is to watch you stumble over your words, Captain, and as comical as it is to watch your eyes get rounder and rounder, Diana, you both need to start acting normal again.” Mother says a little annoyed at our strange reactions. 

I back up a couple of steps until the back of my knees hit the examination table and I flop down on it. I feel myself slowly come out of the cloud of confusion and shock and… _by the love of Hera I’m going to be a mother!_

“Steve,” I manage to squeak out and stretch my hand out to him. 

He seems to snap back into reality at the sound of my voice and walks towards the table, taking my hand and sitting down next to me. 

“I’ll give you some privacy, Your Majesty,” Epione says moving to leave. 

“Thank you, Epione. Do not go far. I have a feeling once they both come out of their stupor they will have plenty of questions for you,” 

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Epione smiles at us and leaves us alone with Mother. 

Mother moves to stand in front of us and her eyes soften a little. She takes hold of both our chins gently and starts rubbing our cheeks with her thumbs. 

“I know this is a surprise. I know how you feel, even if my case was a little different since I knew I was supposed to get with child,” 

I look at her and frown a little. I’ve never really asked her how it was like for her. I mean, when I first came back to Themyscira she told me she never thought of me as a living, breathing thing until she held me for the first time. But how did she _feel_ during her pregnancy? 

She continues, “Bringing a child into the world, _any_ world, is a very frightening thing. Especially when you have the responsibilities you two have.” 

I feel Steve squeeze my hand. 

How are we going to perform our sworn duties with a child to take care of? How am I going to fight with a huge belly?! That’s going to be a sight. 

_Oh God, I’m going to go viral!_

“But you are not alone. You have a family here in Themyscira. You have a group of friends in Man’s world who I am sure will help you should you need it, and you have the Gods of Olympus watching over you,” She says pointing up. 

I nod. Yes, we definitely have a great support system and I have Steve. But that still doesn’t change the fact that this is a complete surprise and in the last 15 minutes I’ve only said four words. 

Mother looks at us and sensing our states of slight catatonia, she looks over her shoulder and seems to come to a decision. 

“Would it help to know what you are having?”, Mother asks us searching our eyes for any sign that we are listening to her. 

We both stare at her and then I turn to Steve. He seems to understand I can’t quite verbalize what I’m thinking, but I’m thankful to the Gods that we are able to communicate with just a look and he nods, knowing what I want. 

He nods to Mother. 

“Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, beauty and fertility bestowed upon us a gift. This gift, we thought, was quite strange,” 

Mother turns and walks towards the wall facing us, pulling a loose piece of rock from the stone wall of the cavern. She turns it over to reveal it’s hollow and from it, she pulls a medallion. 

“We thought it strange because this medallion could tell us the sex of a child before it was born, but none of us would ever be able to conceive a child since there are no men here. Then I came to Epione with the exact same symptoms you just told her, Diana, and her and Ersa deduced that was the reason why Aphrodite gifted us this medallion - to know whether I was having a boy or a girl. 

But as soon as they said that out loud, we realized that that could not be it. _On this island there are no men_. We knew you were a girl before they used this medallion on me. But, we used it anyway. East to west, it is a girl. North to south, it is a boy. Now, I think, I know why Aphrodite gave us this gift. Extend your right hand palm up, Diana,” 

I think back to the _Venus de Milo_. A marble statue of Aphrodite found in Milos in 1820 and that now calls the Louvre its home. I’ve cleaned that statue many times and wondered at the artistry it took to make such a marvellous work of art. From now on, every time I look at it, I’ll remember the moment I was told I’m having a… 

“Wait. Which way is north?”, Steve asks just as Mother is about to move the medallion above my hand. Mother and I point to the stone wall behind me without saying a word. 

“Oh, okay. Go ahead,” 

The medallion starts moving… 

“East to west. You are having a girl,” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys next week!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is longer. Hope you enjoy!

4 

“Oh my God! Steve, what did we do?!” 

I bury my face in my hands to give myself a moment to try and put my thoughts into order. I lean slightly forward and rest my elbows on my knees. 

I hear Mother deflate somewhat at my reaction. I feel her hand cupping my head and I feel momentarily comforted by her touch. She gives me a kiss on the top of my head. 

“I’ll give you two a moment. Come look for me and Epione when you are ready to talk.” 

I hear the echo of her footsteps as she leaves Steve and I alone. 

_A child?! What was I thinking?!_

It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. We live in the 21stcentury for crying out loud! You have to be incredibly careless to let such a thing happen! This complicates everything. How am I going to do my job properly with a baby growing inside me? How am I going to do my job properly with a child at home waiting for me? How could I _possibly_ be a good mother with the duties that I have?! 

I feel Steve’s hand on my back and he says something but I don’t quite catch it. 

“What?” I ask lowering my hands from my face. 

He’s looking at me and I can’t help but notice how very blue his eyes are and how _alive_ they are with excitement. One thought is very clear to me in this moment: _I hope our daughter has his eyes._

_“_ We can do this. We can do this, Diana,” 

“But Steve our duties -” 

He shakes his head and holds my hands. “We’ll find a way. We always do. I’ve always believed things happen for a reason. Sometimes I’ve found it hard to find the reason and often times I’ve yelled at the skies in frustration trying to understand the _how_ and _why_. But today is not that day. Today, we know the _how._ ” 

He laughs and I laugh with him despite my panic. 

Actually, I think to know exactly when the _how_ was. 

“And the _why_ is simple. We love each other and we’ve created something that represents it. I know what you’re thinking, but this baby -” He rests his hand gently on my lower stomach and in that moment, I  _feel_ the life growing inside me and _by the Gods_ , _it’s wonderful_. “ _Our_ daughter is meant to be here.” 

I honestly believe that if Steve had wanted to, he could have been an excellent writer. He just has such a way with words... Which is why I find myself crying and also, I guess I’m hormonal. 

“This is just so unexpected. We’ve never talked about having children. I don’t even know if you wanted them,” 

He seems to think his answer for a second, “In all honesty, no. I didn’t want children. I never did. You know how I grew up. My parents and I never had much, and after my mother died, it was hand to mouth for a while. Then the war came and I don’t have to tell you, you were there. All that death and suffering - all the children who had their worlds turned upside down. I can still hear their screams in my nightmares sometimes. Why would I want to bring a child into this world? It’s so violent and cruel. But then there was you.” 

I smile and touch his cheek. 

“You reminded me that everything was not lost. I was being sucked into this black hole and you pulled me out with your questions about marriage and why wouldn’t I sleep with you?” 

I laugh again and slap him on the shoulder softly. 

“I didn’t want children before. But I want them now because it’s you. I wouldn’t do this with anyone else.” 

“Steve, you really need to stop saying those things because I’ll never stop crying,” 

He laughs and throws his arm around my shoulders to pull me closer to his chest. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop... for now. How about you then? You love children.” 

“I do, but I never thought about having them. It was as an adult, living in Man’s world that I noticed that I’m not like other women. It wasn’t a goal of mine to become a mother. I guess that has to do with how and where I was raised. But even if I did, you would’ve been the only one I would have wanted to have a baby with and you weren’t here.” 

I feel his arm tighten around me. “Well, it seems all the pieces where were they were supposed to be, because angel, we’re having a baby.” 

I slap my hand against my forehead and look up, “Oh God, we are!” 

Steve kisses me and I melt into him. Right now, I put all my worries and fears aside and try to let the happiness of the moment wash over me. We lie down on the examination table with my head on his chest and his hand on my waist. We let the minutes pass by, letting the news fully sink in. 

I’m not sure how much time passes by before Steve says, 

“You’re awful quiet,” 

“Sorry. Now that my mind is a little clearer, I’m starting to have a lot of questions,” 

“Yeah, me too. We should go look for your mother and Epione then,” 

“Yeah, let’s go.” 

We stand up and Steve immediately intertwines his fingers with mine. We climb the stairs of the infirmary and we walk through a hall that connects directly to the palace. We find Mother and Epione talking at the base of the stairs that lead to the main chambers. 

“Oh, there you are. I was about to go see if you two were still breathing. How are you? A little better I hope,” Mother asks. 

“Yes, Mother. It was all very surprising, that’s all. I think we both just needed to let the news of your granddaughter sit for a minute,” 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big smile on my mother’s face before and I can’t help but smile with her. 

“Well then, I will leave you two with Epione. I do not wish to impose.” 

“No, Mother. Stay. Please. You’re the only one in this island who knows how I feel.” 

She looks at me and then at Steve. 

“We could use all the help we can get, Your Majesty,” 

She nods her head, “Let’s go somewhere more private. Your chambers perhaps, Diana?” 

“Perfect,” I say. 

We climb the stairs up to my chambers and once inside, we sit. Steve’s fingers are still intertwined with mine. 

“You have questions. Hopefully I will be able to provide the answers.” Epione says sitting in front of us. 

I look at Steve and he nods, signalling me to go first. 

“The symptoms I described to you earlier, about my senses. What is that exactly? And when will it stop?” 

She smiles, “Those are your senses adjusting to your new condition. You are going to find that during the duration of your pregnancy, you will be more sensitive to external stimuli. You have already been experiencing this. It will focus completely in about a month. It is still early on in the pregnancy.” 

I nod taking the information in. 

“How early is it? My pregnancy, that is,” 

“I would say you are two months pregnant, Your Highness,” 

I nod. “Your turn,” I tell Steve. 

“Okay, um. Should she continue fighting bad guys? I don’t think that’s the safest thing to do. What if she gets punched a little too hard?” 

Epione laughs softly, “Your Majesty, I think this is a question better answered by you.” 

“There is nothing for you to worry about in that sense, Captain. During my pregnancy, absolutely nothing changed in terms of my training, albeit I was not fighting ‘bad guys’, as you said, but her enhanced senses will help her immensely.” 

Mother and Epione are making it sound like I’ll have Superman level senses. Now I’m kind of looking forward to that. 

“But what if they _don’t_ though? What if she gets poisoned or something?” 

I roll my eyes. “What if a bus lands on me? What if I suddenly develop a shellfish allergy and go into anaphylactic shock? My powers, my _senses_ have never failed me, Steve. Why would they now?” 

There’s another side effect of pregnancy apparently - Steve becoming the kind of man who constantly thinks of the ‘worst case scenario’. 

His eyes widen a little at my lack of worry over what may or may not happen to me. 

“I’m serious, Diana! Murphy’s law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong,” 

I turn on my sit, so I’m fully facing him, “Steve, why does Murphy’s law suddenly applies now and not before we found out I was pregnant?” 

_I’m pregnant. Wow, that’s going to take some getting used to._

“Because if they punch you, they punch her, a tiny defenceless child. That doesn’t worry you at all?” 

He says it as if I’m slow and I take offense at his accusatory tone. My eyebrow lifts slightly and I look at him dead in the eyes. 

“No, I’m not worried because I’m not going to allow anyone to endanger our daughter’s life. And the fact that you’re implying that I would is offensive and hurtful.” 

_What in Zeus’ name...? How did an innocent Q &A turn into an attack on my maternal instincts? _

He closes his eyes and exhales deeply. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. I’m just worried. I know you can take care of yourself, but I’m afraid something bad will happen. I know you’ll protect her. You’ll just have to give me some time to adjust. I’m sorry.” 

I feel my anger boil down and I remember what Steve told me a few moments ago. A child suffering, _our_ child suffering plays right into his fears. I can’t promise him nothing bad will happen, that’s impossible. But I _can_ promise him that I will do my very best to protect our child and myself. 

“I know I’m not all powerful and you’re right to be afraid. I am too. But getting punched is not something that happens often and even if it did, an average human punch doesn’t even cause me to bruise. And with this new upgrade to my senses, I don’t see why that would change. Besides, now I have two reasons to get home safely. I’ll be damned if I let anyone lay a finger on me,” 

He nods and exhales in relief. I look at him for a moment longer to make sure he’s okay and turn again to face Mother and Epione who, for a moment, totally forgot they were here. 

“The anxiety you are feeling is normal, Captain. It happens with big changes and it will take some time, but you will make it your new normal. So will you, Diana.” 

I nod and so does Steve. 

“There are a few things you will have to be aware of, Diana. Your centre of gravity will change, therefore I recommend to increase your training. This will help you understand the changes that are occurring to your body and that will be incredibly helpful for when you are engaged in hand-to-hand combat.” 

Steve huffs and says, “I’m sure a doctor in Paris would tell you to take your vitamins and keep your normal routine. It still surprises me how different things are here,” 

Mother smiles, “But this doctor would not know their patient is Wonder Woman and her normal routine _is_ to fight people with dark intentions. So, in a way, Captain, Epione is telling her what any doctor in Man’s world would.” 

Steve scratches the back of his neck and laughs, “Well, you got me there, Your Majesty.” 

“Anything I should change? _Should I_ take any vitamins?”, I ask Epione suddenly forgetting everything I know about human biology. 

She looks at me confused. 

“I am not sure what you mean, Diana. All the minerals and vitamins you need to maintain homeostasis are found in food, and as long as you have a balanced diet, there should be no problem. The only thing I would tell you is to increase your daily calorie intake in around 300 Kcal and stay hydrated.” 

Right. I forgot. There are no corporations selling lies here. I try to explain to her and Mother (who is also puzzled by my question) why I asked such a thing. 

“In Man’s world, you can find minerals and vitamins isolated from their natural vessels. They sell it by telling you all the benefits and how you’re not getting enough of it. A lot of people don’t realize that these vitamins and minerals are found in your everyday food.” 

The stunned faces of both Mother and Epione are quite funny. I wish I had my phone so I could snap a picture. After a few seconds, they shake off their surprise and Epione says, 

“It is a shame that men can be so easily deceived. Although not surprising,” 

“I’ll try and not find offense in that.” – Steve says as he points at both Mother and Epione – “But joke’s on you. Our daughter is ¾ human,” 

Epione narrows her eyes at that. “No, she’s not. She’s a demigod,” 

He looks at me and his eyes jump from left to right, doing the math in his head. 

“No, she’s not. I’m a full human. Diana’s half human, half god. That’s ¾ human and ¼ god,” 

_Right. Steve doesn’t know how your status as a god or demigod is determined._

I smile at how cute he looks when he’s confused. “Your math is right. But demigod is as diluted as it gets. You’re either a god, a demigod or a human. You can’t be ¼ god. It’s not how it works. Our daughter is a demigod.” 

He narrows his eyes a bit, “How do you know she’s not full human?” 

_I frown at that. How do I know she’s not a full human?_

We both turn to look at Epione. 

“We know she’s a demigod because of Diana’s symptoms. If she were pregnant with a human child, her powers would not have been affected the way they are being affected,” 

I breathe a sigh of relief. Our daughter being human would’ve been hard, to say the least. 

Steve’s jaw goes slack and I never thought I would enjoy watching it hit the floor so much. 

“Oh no,” He says, his eyes as wide as saucers. 

“Oh no, what?” I ask suddenly thinking of a million scenarios in which Steve has a problem with our daughter being a demigod. 

“What if she misbehaves and I tell her she’s grounded and she decides to not be grounded and she blasts me into oblivion?!” 

_Hestia, give me strength_ . And here I thought he had some real concerns about our child being a demigod. 

“Steve! She won’t do that because 1) she’s going to know better and 2) _if_ , and that’s a big if, she _ever_ does that, then she’ll have to deal with me. And by the way, just because I can call upon thunder doesn’t mean she will be able to do the same.” 

“Oh?” Steve says, his face morphing from mild panic to curiosity. “I assumed that because you had the same powers as your father, then our daughter would have the same ones too.” 

“I don’t have the same powers as my father. I can manipulate thunder and that’s about it. He can do a lot more than that.” 

I’m glad I don’t have the same powers as my father. The responsibility, the _burden -_ no. I wouldn’t know how to cope. I don’t know how he does it. 

“Only Zeus knows what powers my granddaughter will have, Captain. But you can rest easy. He will not give her more than she can handle. And we will all help her understand them and how to use them to protect, to help. I am not worried. She is going to have two wonderful parents to guide her and love her.” 

Yes, she will have an amazing support system, but I’m still worried. When I first discovered I had powers, I was petrified of what I might do, of who I could hurt. Seeing Antiope being blasted back like that by _me_ , it almost made my heart stop. And then choosing to leave the island almost immediately after; I had to learn about my powers on the fly, by trial and error. After defeating Ares, there were many times when I almost got seriously hurt. There were times when I almost killed others because I didn’t know how much damage I could cause.

Father didn’t give me more than I could handle and he knew that, but I didn’t.

“Anything on your mind, Diana?” Epione asks me seeing the pensive look on my face.

I huff at her question. “There are many things going through my mind, Epione. But right now, I need something to distract myself with and I think that’s training.”

“You should go then. If you come up with any more questions, or you Captain, you know where to find me,”

“Thank you for your patience, Epione.” I tell her gratefully.

“Yes, thank you.” Steve says after me.

“You are very welcome,” Epione stands up and bows her head towards Mother.

“Your Majesty.”

Mother acknowledges her bow tilting her head forward and smiling.

Once Epione leaves Mother turns to look at us. “Now that you two seem more collected, stand-up”

I stand up obediently, so does Steve.

She takes a few steps closer to us and says,

“Congratulations,”

I smile and throw my arms around her. “Thank you, Mother.”

 _Mother_.

I’m going to be a mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop a comment if you like! See you next week!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also a long one. Enjoy!

5

As Steve and I walk with our hands intertwined towards the training grounds, I start thinking about what type of father he’s going to be. He possesses all the qualities to be an excellent father. He’s kind, protective, funny and incredibly understanding. I suddenly have a vision of Steve chasing after a blue-eyed carefree girl, the sound of her gleeful screams filling me with the warmest of feelings.

Will she be like me? Is she going to be like Steve? Or is she going to be her own little person?

Then the logical question that follows is: what type of mother am I going to be? I know I already love her, therefore I will do everything in my power to make sure no harm comes her way. For now, I decide to ignore the fact that I will definitely not be able to fight every single bad thing that comes her way. But there’s going to be so much love in her life. She’s going to have us, Mother, Antiope and the whole of Themyscira to love her. She’s going to have Bruce, Alfred, Clark, Lois, Arthur, Victor and Barry – he’s going to go insane when he finds out I’m pregnant – and Barbara Ann, who I’m sure will make some witty remark that’s going to make Steve and I laugh. Our baby is going to be happy. Our baby is going to be loved.

“Antiope!”

At the sound of my voice she turns and smiles wide. I let go of Steve’s hand and take a few long strides to get to her. She laughs as I throw my arms around her with a little more strength than normal.

“Diana. How good it is to see you! I was surprised when Venelia informed me of your arrival. Friend,”

She says to Steve as she lets go of me to hug him.

“How’s my favourite Amazonian general?” Steve asks returning the hug.

“Everything is good in the island, Captain. Peaceful. Hopefully it will stay that way.” – she looks over at me – “So? Is everything alright? I was told you went to see Epione, Diana.”

I smile and look at Steve and he nods, allowing me to be the one to tell my aunt the good news.

“Everything is fine. More than fine actually. We’re having a baby,”

A short gleeful scream comes out of Antiope’s mouth – a sound I never would’ve expected to come out of her.

“By the Gods’ mercy! How wonderful! A child!”

I see her eyes become glassy and once again, I am enveloped in her arms. I hear the murmurs grow louder and before I know it, we’re surrounded by excited amazons. I thank all of their congratulations and accept all their hugs. I hear Steve exclaim: ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!’ and I turn to see him being bear hugged and lifted by Artemis. I laugh and I cannot wait to share the news with the rest of our friends.

Eventually Antiope realises there’s too much excitement in the air and focus is being lost, so she commands her soldiers to resume their training.

“I wish to train too, Antiope. If that’s okay…”

She squeezes my arm gently. “Of course, it is. You know what to do,”

I nod and turn to Steve, “You don’t have to stay. I think I’m going to be here for a while.”

“I’ll stay for a bit if you don’t mind. It’s not very often I see you train.”

I smile at him, “Okay, then.”

I walk into the training grounds and immediately go for the sword. I examine it for a minute, the sun hits the metal making it shine particularly beautifully. I look up and see Steve sitting on the edge of a big rock that’s been shaped into stairs.

“I trust Epione has told you about what to expect in regards to your body and how it will affect your fighting?”

Antiope asks as Menalippe hands her her sword.

I nod. “Yes. She said my senses will become more sensitive to stimuli and as with any regular pregnancy, my centre of gravity will change, which is why it’s a good idea to increase my training.”

Antiope raises her sword and adjusts her grip on it. I do the same.

“Learning to fight with a child growing inside of you is not going to be as hard as you may think,”

She takes a quick step forward and lunges. I move my sword down and block her first attack.

“You’re not just protecting people because it is the right thing to do anymore.”

She does a half turn and swings her sword towards my ribs. I block it and quickly take a step back to block her next swing with a loud _shing_.

“Now you’re protecting family. Your child. Are you going to let anyone hurt your child?”

Antiope throws a series of attacks I haven’t really seen before and I struggle to block them. I take a couple of steps back to try and delay her attacks but she moves fast and continues to throw blow after blow with flawless swordsmanship. I hold my sword with two hands transitioning to a full defense stance.

I feel the burn in my arms as they absorb the force behind each of Antiope’s blows. I think back to hundreds of years ago when she would overpower me every. single. time. Back then, I thought it was because she simply was better than me, had more experience. Right now, I realise I couldn’t beat her because she wasn’t fighting for herself. She was fighting against me _for_ me. Antiope wanted me to learn how to protect myself so when the day came, I would have a fighting chance against Ares.

I was always overpowered by her because I was fighting for myself.

Antiope goes to swing her sword towards my legs and when I block her attack, with amazing speed, she moves to stand next to me, shoulder to shoulder, and pushes me to the ground. I fall with a grunt managing to keep hold of my sword.

When I turn to look at Antiope, I see her feet leaving the ground as she jumps high over me. I remain on the ground looking at her and the now familiar sensation of my senses shifting blurs my vision momentarily. I panic not being able to see where Antiope is and I start shuffling backwards, but then, much like in a movie when the camera moves forward fast and at the same time, the zoom button is pushed, I see Antiope descending on me. My vision zooms directly to her hand and I see her sword poised for an attack. Then I look at her face and I see _exactly_ what her intentions are.

That sword is meant to run me through.

That sword is meant to _hurt_ her.

Her question from moments ago plays back loud in my ears.

_Are you going to let anyone hurt your child?_

I slam my right fist on the grass and push myself with enough force to slide to my left. I jump up to a standing position and just before Antiope lands, I hold my sword up with both hands, much like I did when I executed Ludendorff, and bring it down with all of my strength. Sparks fly when my sword runs through the blade of Antiope’s. I come down on one knee as my blade disappears into the grass.

The force of my strike made Antiope let go of the handle of her sword and she fell on the grass with a thud. I stand up and look at Antiope’s sword with the handle of mine sticking out of its blade. I stretch out my hand to her and answer her question.

“Never,”

Antiope looks at me and for a moment I think she might be mad, but then I see a smile creep along her face. She raises her right hand and shakes it.

“Ow,”

I laugh. She takes my hand and I help her up.

She takes the handle of my sword and yanks it out of the grass, her sword coming up with it. Antiope pulls my sword out of hers and she examines the new hole on her weapon’s blade. She hands me both swords and pats me on the shoulder.

“See? Not hard at all.”

I turn towards Steve and I see him sitting there, his chin resting on his hand and he’s shaking his head with a smile on his face. I flex and poke at my bicep and then shrug. I see him throw his head back in laughter.

“Menalippe, I’m going to need another sword!”, I hear Antiope scream.

I throw aside Antiope’s useless sword and get ready for the next round. We train for hours and hours. I feel like I train with every one of the Amazons in the training grounds. I see the sun starting to make its descend somewhere behind the ocean and Antiope declares today’s training over. Menalippe takes my sword and puts it away for me. I exhale deeply and let my shoulders sag. I look over towards where Steve was seating and see he’s no longer there. I start making my way towards the palace.

“How do you feel?”, Antiope asks catching up to me.

I wipe the sweat off my brow. “Like I could take a long relaxing bath.”

She laughs, “You deserve it. You did well today, Diana. There’s room for improvement. There always is. But we’ll continue tomorrow. How long are you and the Captain staying for?”

“Just for a couple more days. We’ll be back on the next full moon though. That hasn’t changed.”

She nods. “I’m still getting used to you not living here. I miss you.”

I look at her and throw my arm over her shoulders. “I miss you too.”

“You know? I never thought I would get to hold a baby, but then you came along. Then I _definitely_ thought I would never get to hold another babe, and now you’re bringing into the world a child of your own. You never stop amazing me, Diana.”

I smile. “I never thought I would have a child. Much less with Steve. I haven’t really had the time to process it all yet but, now that I know she’s on her way… It feels right.”

“ _She?”_

I nod. “Mother used Aphrodite’s medallion. East to west.”

She laughs. “Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. Although it would have been interesting to see a male Amazon. Maybe we still can.”

I bark out laugh. “Let’s just see how things go with this one.”

We walk together in silence until we reach the palace. Antiope wishes me a goodnight and tells me she’s sending someone to set me up a bath. I smile and wish her a goodnight as well. I climb the stairs, hoping to find Steve in my chambers. My mind wanders off momentarily and I start seeing the changes in the palace. I see more smiling women as their eyes follow my little one running unburdened through the palace – Steve and I probably chasing after her. I see Mother on the balcony carrying her and explaining to her how the Amazons came to be. I see Antiope teaching her great niece how to spar, and I see Steve and I on the beach, splashing in the water with our daughter - our creation.

I open the door and scan my chambers not finding Steve. I step in and close the door wondering where he might be. I start removing my cuffs when I hear a strangled breath. My head snaps up towards the balcony. I take quick steps, pushing the curtains aside and my eyes widen when I find Steve holding onto the railing and crying like I’ve never seen him cry before.

“Steve? What’s wrong?”

I place my hand gently on his back and he shakes his head closing his eyes.

“I can’t. I just… I can’t.”

My vision becomes blurry and I feel my chest tighten at seeing him like this.

“You can’t what?”

He takes a deep breath in and turns to look at me. A few more tears run down his cheeks.

He shakes his head sadly at me. “It has to be just her. I can’t – we can’t have more children.”

I stare at him momentarily frozen. Did he have a change of heart? Is he not comfortable with the idea of having a child anymore? He was so excited a few hours ago…

“I don’t think I’m understanding what you’re saying, Steve. Earlier you made it sound like you were thrilled.”

He holds my hands. “I was. I _am_. Sorry, it’s all coming out wrong. Everything was so clear to me when Epione first told us and now…”

Steve lets out a frustrated grunt and then rubs one of his eyes. “While I was watching you train, a thought popped into my mind. Our daughter is a demigod, but she could’ve been human and the mere _thought_ of knowing we would’ve eventually outlived her… It’s unbearable. It caught me by surprise. We’ve only known we’re going to have her for, what? 12 hours? And I already - -”

“Love her so much it hurts?”

He nods. “Yes.”

I look down at our hands gathering my thoughts and start rubbing circles on his knuckles with my thumbs.

“I had that thought when Epione told us she’s a demigod. I just didn’t think much about it.”

He rests his forehead against mine and I start to rub the nape of his neck. We stay locked in that position for a few minutes until I hear a knock on the door. I consider ignoring it, but then I remember Antiope telling me she would send someone to draw me a bath.

I kiss Steve softly on the lips and wait for him to open his eyes. I look at him for a few seconds letting him know we’re not done talking yet. He gives me the barest of nods and I move closer to the door and say,

“Come in,”

The door opens and two maids come in carrying two basins of water each.

“Your Highness, good evening. The General sent us,”

I smile softly. “Yes, she told me. Today’s training was hard on my muscles.”

“We’ll have it ready for you in no time, Princess.”

“Thank you.”

They get to work quickly. The four basins of hot water are enough to fill the bath; the vapour rising up from it quite inviting. One of the maids pulls out a set of drying cloths from my armoire and lays them down gently on a chair nearby. I remove my boots while they finish setting everything up.

“Do you wish for us to come in a few hours and gather things up, Princess?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s alright. You can do that in the morning. Thank you.”

“Very well, Your Highness. Have a goodnight.”

“You too.”

They bow and leave my chambers closing the door behind them. I hear Steve’s soft steps behind me. He kisses my shoulder and I lean back against his chest.

“Do you need help undoing the buckles?”

I nod despite not needing the help because I’ve learnt over this past year, that it’s easier for Steve to talk about what he’s feeling if his hands are busy.

“What are your fears?”, I ask.

I feel him start working on the buckles slowly.

“I don’t know much about Greek mythology, but I don’t think demigods are created just for the sake of being created. There’s a reason. They have a purpose. A duty. What’s hers going to be? Is her duty going to put her in danger?” 

I feel the last buckle loosen and I step out of my armour. Steve offers me his hand and I take it, stepping into the bathtub carefully and lowering myself down. I close my eyes processing all Steve’s saying. My fears are the same. I’ve just been avoiding them all day long. 

Steve sits down on the floor next to the bathtub facing me. He wraps his arms around his knees.

I don’t say anything and let him voice all that’s been in his mind bothering him.

“And that’s not even the first thing we should be worrying about. The most pressing matter is how are we going to protect her while we raise her? How do we tell her who she is? How do we make her understand she’s the daughter of the goddess of truth and an immortal man? Or do we not tell her until she’s old enough to understand?”

I start treading my hand through the water trying to find the answers to his questions – trying to not descend into a panic like he did a few moments ago.

“I don’t want to lie to her.”

That’s the one thing I’m very certain about. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of your mother’s lies. Especially when it concerns who you are.

I don’t want to do that to her.

“I don’t want that either.”

I take a deep breath in and look at Steve.

“I’m scared. Terrified actually. I wish I had the answers to all of your questions, but I don’t and that terrifies me even more. But there are two things that I know for certain.”

Steve puts his arm on the side of the bathtub and rests his chin on his arm.

“What’s that?”

“The world today is not the same as it was a 100 years ago. I know it’s not less dangerous, but it’s easier to keep her safe. We _can_ keep her safe.”

He nods. “And the second one?”

“You’re going to be the best father to her. She’s so lucky to have you.”

His eyes become glassy, but he smiles.

“You, angel, are going to be the greatest mother and we are _both_ lucky to have you.”

I touch his forearm and he moves closer, lowering his hand into the warm water and touching my lower stomach. I rest my hand on top of Steve’s.

“I think you’re right though,”

“About what?”, he asks.

“Our lives are complicated. They are dangerous and if we want to keep her safe, it’s going to take every single ounce of energy we have. So, you’re right. She’s it.”

He nods. “She’s it.”

After a moment of comfortable silence, Steve asks,

“What if one day she starts demanding siblings?”

“We’ll tell her having children is expensive,”

“What if she inherits my stubbornness and keeps asking?”

I smile at his strange questions. “Then we’ll get her a puppy or something.”

He laughs. “Angel?”

“Hmm?”

“Is the water still warm?”

I’m not sure how Steve manages to go back to his playful personality so fast after having a very serious conversation, but I’m grateful for it.

“Yes, but it won’t be for long, so you better get in now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that! Okay, so this is where updates may become a little more sparse. I promise to try my best. Hopefully you’ll continue following this story and see how it ends. Wishing you a great week, guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3k plus words! Hope you enjoy!

6

*First trimester

Steve and I left the island a couple of days later. Before leaving, Mother took me by the face and looked at me with such sweetness, I felt like I was a child again. We promised her we would be back on the next full moon (August) and we would discuss the birth then. I told Steve I wanted our daughter to be born in Themyscira and he agreed.

“I know you have a high threshold for pain, but I don’t know how you’ll handle birth and I’d rather you be surrounded by people who can actually help if you came to _be_ in pain.”

I shrugged not knowing how I’ll react to birth either. We told Mother and she was ecstatic. She told us she would have Epione, Ersa and every single erudite of the island researching to make sure they were ready for when her granddaughter decided to come into the world. Antiope hugged us both with a smile on her face and said to me,

“Continue training. Your power comes from emotion. If you ever doubt yourself, just ask: _who_ am I protecting? Yes?”

I nodded and hugged her again. We got on the boat and rowed until we crossed the rippled barrier. The rest of the trip back was uneventful. Now, as we lie down in our bed watching a random movie on cable with my head resting on Steve’s chest and his arm around my shoulders, I finally feel like we got our normal back.

“We’re not telling anybody yet, right?” Steve asks me.

“I guess we should wait the traditional three months before telling anyone, but I really want to tell Barbara Ann.”

He laughs, “Of course you do. You should tell her tomorrow at work.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want both of us to tell her?”

“You know? No matter what the news are, she always ends up making a joke about me that I can’t quite reply to because it’s so smart and I can’t even imagine what she’s going to come up with now, so I’d rather delay that for a bit if you don’t mind.”

I laugh, probably a little too hard, at that because it’s true. Barbara Ann’s mind is so quick, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with her.

The next morning, as I get ready for work, I stop for a minute in front of the mirror as I step out of the shower and look at my body. There are no obvious signs that would have told me I’m pregnant. In time, I guess, I would have been able to put two and two together, but it is so strange to know there is a life currently growing inside of me. It’s a bit unsettling to be completely honest. Suddenly there’s a tiny person who depends on me 24/7 and not just for the next 7 months either, but for years and years to come. I continue on with my routine before I get myself into an undesirable state of anxiety.

“Angel, I’m heading out. You two have a great day.” Steve says leaning down to give me a peck while I’m stepping into my heeled black boots.

I smile as my heart melts a little. “We will. Have a great day too.”

Steve always leaves for work a little bit earlier than I do since A.R.G.U.S’ offices are further away from home, but not by much though. I finish gathering my stuff up and head to work. I feel a little spring in my step as I walk towards the metro. As I usually do on my way to work, I start making a list of all the things I should try to get done for today.

_Ask Emilie if Monsieur Lausanne was able to repair the chip on the statue of Cupid. Kids and their selfie sticks. She should also be giving me my invite for the donor’s ball. I should definitely get started on the mountain of paper work for the loan of the Vermeer._

I walk down the stairs to the station just as the train I usually take pulls in. I step in and continue with my list. Once I reach my destination, I step out of the train and walk to my favourite café in front of the museum. I realise as I pull the door open that I’m not supposed to have coffee.

Will it affect me like a regular woman though?

I consider turning around and heading right into the museum, as much as it hurts me to not get my cup of black coffee, but Mohammed, the young man who usually takes my order spots me and waves at me. Deciding it would look strange if I just turned around and left, I walk to the counter and ask for something different.

“ _Bonjour, Diana. Café noir grande, oui?”_

I smile at him. “ _Bonjour, Mohammed. Non, aujord’hui je vais prendre une boisson different._ ”

He looks surprised at me when I tell him I’ll have something different today.

“ _Different? Parfait! Une thé peut-être? Ou une chocolat chaud?_ ”

I feel my mouth start to water at the thought of a hot cup of cocoa. “ _Une chocolat chaud, s’il vous plaît. Mais petite, pas grande._ ”

He nods. “ _Bien sûr_. 3.50€, _s’il vous plaît_.”

I pull out my wallet and pay for the hot chocolate. Once my name is called I grab my cup of hot cocoa and walk across the street to the Louvre. It’s not very often that my mouth waters at the thought of any food or drink, but as soon as the warm brown liquid touches my tongue, I feel like I could float away.

“What are you doing to me?”, I ask the baby discreetly.

I guess I should expect cravings from now on.  

It has always been my favourite part of getting to work when I step into the museum and there’s barely any noise. The doors of the museum open at 9am, so there’s a good hour before people start flooding in – although I can already see the lines forming at the entrance. It’s almost like a vacuum; the noise of traffic, of people arguing over menial things, everything fades as soon as I step into the building. I’ve learnt there’s an order to the sounds I hear when I get to work.

First, there’s nothing. Just my breathing. Then there’s the sound of my heels hitting the marble floor. It echoes across the entrance. When I get to security check, I hear the jingle of keys as Leo, the security guard, turns when he hears me coming. Almost simultaneously he says,

“ _Bonjour, Directrice Prince_.”

I smile at him. “ _Bonjour, Leo. Ça va?_ ”

Being director of a department has its privileges, like not needing to X-ray my purse or go through the X-ray machine every day; which turns out benefits me since I’m pregnant and I shouldn’t expose myself to that amount of radiation, and, also, they maybe would have figured it out before I was ready to tell people. So that’s the next sound I hear – Leo lifting up the chain next to the machine and answering my question with a simple,

“ _Oui, oui_.”

Once I cross security, this is where it becomes harder to discern sounds. The cleaning staff are hard at work cleaning every single inch the public will step on, the security staff are walking by each and every single painting making sure the sensors are working as they’re supposed to and the floor supervisors are meticulously checking everything is done properly.

I reach the door to the administrative area, pull out my card from my purse and swipe it. The door opens with a click and I go down the stairs. Before, it used to be Emilie who I would see next, always sitting behind her desk already at work when I got there, but since Barbara Ann started working here, as soon as I push the door open I always expect to hear…

“Can you bloody believe these politicians?! Why are they ignoring what we’re saying? We. Don’t. Want. The. UK. To. Leave. The. European. Union. For heaven’s sake!”

… the news that frustrate her the most.

I usually just keep walking to my office and Barbara Ann falls into step with me. She scrolls all the way to the end of the article huffing and puffing. I glance at her and see the reflection of her screen on her glasses. I smile and take a sip of my hot cocoa.

“Isn’t it a little early for you to be this annoyed?”

She locks her phone and shoves it quite forcibly into her back pocket. “I’m always annoyed when I read about politics. Might as well do it early in the morning and complain about it all day. That way I can sleep easy.”

I smile. “Too bad it’s me who has to hear you all day.”

“Oh, you love it. Don’t deny it. So? What was the diagnosis? Are you transitioning into full god?”

I look at her and smile, taking a sip of my hot cocoa and making a point of letting her know I’m not telling her right this instant.

“What was that on your face?”

I chuckle. “I believe it’s called a smile, Barbara Ann.”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Why are you playing coy? Just tell me. Are you okay?”

I detect some concern in her tone, so I assure her everything’s fine.

“I’m okay. I’ll tell you during lunch. It’s just… I have a feeling it’s going to be a bit of a long conversation and I really have a lot of things to get done today. So, lunch alright?”

Barbara Ann studies me for a second and nods. “Alright. I’ll buy lunch. Lasagna?”

“Sounds perfect.”

She nods once again and goes to continue with her day. I get to my office and as expected, Emilie is already there.

“ _Bonjour_ , Diana.”

“ _Bonjour_ , Emilie. How’s today’s schedule?”

She exhales loudly and turns her chair to open the drawers behind her. “Busy day today, I’m afraid. Right here are all the documents you need to sign for the loan of the Vermeer. Legal needs them by the end of the day at the most.”

She places a stack of documents on her desk. I sigh inwardly at having to seat in my office for at least a couple of hours doing nothing but reading and signing papers.

“I called _Monsieur_ Lausanne a moment ago, he had scheduled a meeting to show you the repair on the statue, but he was called for an emergency meeting and had to cancel.”

“Did he tell you if he was able to repair it?”

“Yes, he did. He wanted to personally show you the repair. He wants to know if you wish to reschedule the appointment or just send you the report?”

I pick up some of the documents and skim through them. “No, it’s fine. _Monsieur_ Lausanne’s work has been impeccable. I don’t see why it should be different this time. Tell him to send me the report.”

“I’ll let him know.” Emilie answers as she types it on her computer.

I frown at one of the documents I’m holding. “Emilie, these are not the conditions of transportation I asked for. The painting will be ruined if it’s transported like it says here.”

She nods. “ _Madame_ Stein insisted that we needed to reduce costs and she changed the temperature regulated truck to a regular one. Her assistant told me she wouldn’t hear any complaints about it.”

I lift an eyebrow at that. “Get her on the phone, _s’il vous plaît_.”

Brigitte Stein is the financial executive in charge of managing budgeting for the Louvre. She’s quite known for being protective of the museum’s money, to the point of actually ignoring the advice of the art professionals if she deems them to be _too expensive_.

Emilie searches for her annex on the computer and dials her office. “ _Bonjour_. I have _Directrice_ Prince for _Madame_ Stein, _s’il vous plait_.”

She puts the call on speaker and puts the receiver down. I continue reading the transportation she’s decided it’s best for the painting and I have to suppress the need to roll my eyes at every sentence. We might as well tie the painting to the roof of a beetle and hope it gets to the exhibition in one piece.

“ _Directrice_ Prince. Good morning. How can I help you?”

“Good morning, _Madame_ Stein. I just read the changes you made regarding the transportation of the Vermeer and I don’t think it would safe to transport the painting in those conditions.”

“ _Madame_ , as I informed the rest of the worried personnel, the painting will be just fine. There’s a reason we’re transporting it on a Sunday. There’s considerably less traffic, therefore the painting will not be in the truck for long. There’s no need to be worried about the oils melting. The temperature regulated truck is an unnecessary expenditure.”

I gently drop the papers I was holding on top of the stack and look at Emilie with a deadpan look.

“I don’t think you have taken into consideration that Sunday is a national holiday. _C’est la fête de la victoire_. The streets will be flooded with people and we have estimated it will take almost _deux heures_ to get to the exhibition, which is enough time to cause irreparable damage to an invaluable painting. That, I’m afraid, would cost the museum an incredible artistic _and_ financial loss.”

I enjoy the silence coming out of the other side of the phone. Emilie gives me a thumbs-up and I smirk.

“Oh, I- I had forgotten about that.”

“Not to worry, _Madame_ Stein. That’s why we read papers before signing them. I’ll have my assistant print the original plans for the painting’s transport and have it sent to you in 20 minutes so you can sign them.”

“Y-yes. Of course.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too, _Madame_ Prince.”

Emilie picks up the receiver and puts it down just as fast ending the call.

“Have I ever told you you’re the greatest boss I’ve ever had?”

I laugh softly at that. “What else is on today’s schedule?”

She lifts up the big pile of documents and places it on the side.

“The donor’s ball has been pushed back a week. You need to confirm or decline attendance today. Invitation.”

I take the cream coloured invitation with my name written on it with neat cursive writing.

“Do you know why it has been pushed back?” I ask opening the envelope and pulling out the invitation.

I hear Emilie sigh sadly. “It’s _Monsieur_ Llodra’s son. His cancer came back and he’s undergoing chemotherapy. His last session is on the day the ball was scheduled to be held. _Monsieur_ Llodra called the _président_ of the board and asked him if the ball could be rescheduled because his son was very much looking forward to it. And since _Monsieur_ Llodra is one of the most generous donors the Louvre has, they agreed.”

“Oh, that’s terrible.”

I’ve met them both and they are very grounded and kind people. I don’t know much about them other than Thomas Llodra is a doctor and his son Lucas is a historian.

“ _Oui_ , terrible things always happen to the people who least deserve it.” Emilie says.

Don’t I know it.

“Well,” I put my cup of hot cocoa on the desk and grab all the documents, making sure to secure any loose papers in place. “I’ll be in my office. Barbara Ann is bringing lunch today. Just let her in.”

“ _Oui_ , Diana.”

I grab my hot cocoa and climb the stairs down to my office and immediately start reading the documents. I read and sign, and sign and read until my eyes feel heavy. At one point, I pull out mi iPad to check my emails and see I’ve gotten the report from _Monsieur_ Lausanne. I read it and click on the photos he has sent me. I zoom in on them and I can barely see the faint line where the broken piece was reattached. I smile and nod. I type a quick reply to him congratulating him on his work. I continue reading the documents for the loan of the Vermeer and not too long after, Emilie comes down the stairs with the revised copy of the transportation parameters with _Madame_ Stein’s signature on it. I sign it and with that, I am officially done with that subject. Emilie takes the stack to legal.

I continue with my duties until I hear Barbara Ann come down the stairs some time later, with a paper bag on hand. I immediately smell the parmesan cheese.

“ _La principessa è qui_!”, she says stopping on the last step; arms open wide.

I stop typing and look up at her. “But _I’m_ the actual _principessa_ here.”

Barbara Ann drops her arms and looks at me annoyed. “You know what, Diana? I brought you lasagna. So I get to be the princess right now. Yeah?”

I block the screen of my iPad and raise my hands in surrender.

“Fine. But just because you brought lasagna.”

She climbs down the last step and places the paper bag on my desk, pulling out two aluminum containers and putting them on my desk.

“There’s bolognesa and pesto. Choose as your heart desires.”

I grab the pesto one and Barbara Ann passes me a fork.

"Thanks."

“How’s the family?”, she asks opening the container.

I stab a piece of lasagna and try it. My eyes close as I let the cheesiness of it all engulf my senses.

“They’re good. This is amazing. Where did you get it?”

I have another bite and look up at her. She’s frowning at me.

“Since when do you marvel about food? A little family owned restaurant on _rue d’antin_.”

I stop shoveling food into my mouth and decide this is a good a time as any to tell her before she realises and starts connecting the dots.

“Okay, so, I’m not sick.”

“That’s good,”

I nod. “I’m going to tell you but don’t scream or be, you know, loud.”

She looks even more confused at me. “God, woman. Okay. Can you just tell me?”

“I’m pregnant.”

“WHAT?! OH MY GOD!”, Barbara Ann screams as she stands up, her chair scraping the floor loudly, lasagna forgotten.

“ _Shhhhh_. I just told you to _not_ be loud.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOU’RE PREG-“

I stand up. “Barbara Ann, _shhhh_! You’re the first person I’m telling. No one else knows and Steve and I would like to keep it that way for a little while.”

She covers her mouth with both hands. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Oh, my God, Di! You’re pregnant. That’s mental!” This time she whispers it.

“I know. It’s unreal, but it’s also amazing and petrifying all at once.”

Barbara Ann looks at me for a few seconds. Her eyes are suspiciously shiny.

“Di, congratulations.”

She takes a few steps forward and envelops me in a hug so genuine, I almost feel like crying.

“Who knew Trevy got it in him? How did he take it?””

I huff out a laugh. That sounds more like the Barbara Ann I know.

“As well as I did. We were both incredibly shocked.”

She breaks off the hug and pulls out her cellphone and starts typing.

“What are you doing?” I ask her with a laugh.

“I’m texting Steve.”

I look skyward for a second. “What are you telling him now?”

“He can tell you later. Oh, man. I’m proud of this one.” She laughs and shoves her cellphone in her back pocket.

Sorry, Steve. Seems like Barbara Ann still got you.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be no updates for the next two weeks since I’m going on a family trip. Totally forgot about it. See you then! Drop a comment if you’d like!


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